Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2010

2–10 July 2010This festival is the foremost Category A international film festival in Central and Eastern Europe and the only Categorie A festival in the Czech Republic. Each year, the festival premiers over 200 new films from around the world in the Czech Republic.

Traditionally, the most closely followed section of the Karlovy Vary festival is the international feature film competition. Presenting world, international, and European premieres, this section highlights the works of well-known filmmakers as well as talented debut directors. The organisers already have confirmed some of the titles in the main competition.

Polish documentarist and renowned playwright Pawel Sala will present his first ever feature titled Mother Teresa of Cats (Matka Teresa od kotów). Other entries include the psychological drama thriller Sweet Evil (L’enfance du mal), Olivier Coussemacq’s feature-length debut,as well as the newest film from Oscar winner Jan Svěrák – Kooky (Kuky se vrací). In the context of contemporary Czech cinematography, this film is unique for its nontraditional, modern combination of live acting and animation.

Documentary Films in Competition, East of the West – Films in Competition and many other categories also have been prepared. As part of the Focus on Belgian Film section, for example, audiences will get to see a selection of Belgian films including the sardonic comedy The Misfortunates (De Helaasheid der dingen) by Felix Van Groeningen, which represented Belgium at the Oscars.

The Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema will be presented to director Juraj Herz, a filmmaker who has shot more than 25 feature films in his career, many of which have received awards at prestigious film festivals.

The festival, which this year enters its 45th year, will of course also feature guest celebrities and stars. In recent years, distinguished festival guests from abroad have included, for example, Sean Connery, Nastassja Kinski, Keira Knightley and Elijah Wood.

For more information about the festival, visit the website www.kviff.com